all clean

well, after two days i'm finally done unpacking and cleaning everything. including vixen, who was quick the dirty girl. she got a full sponge bath and got back into her bikini. that big touring windscreen just wasn't very flattering. here's how she looks now, like she's supposed to:


unfortunately, she's not quite ride ready, as she's about 3000 miles overdue for some maintenance. actually, she's a little more overdue than that, since i kind of missed one scheduled maintenance already (i think i was somewhere in new mexico). so she needs some TLC that i just can't give her. she also might need some paint touched up here and there. all that wear and tear from the road (and the saddlebags) have left a few rubbed spots and scratches). i need to make an appointment to take her in, but i also have to see if i can afford it yet. so for now she is sadly garaged and i am tootling around in the purple wonder.

it's been a bit of a transition remembering how to drive a car again. especially a big honking SUV. i don't quite have the same acceleration that i've been used to and parking? forget about it.

actually, it's been a bit of a transition already readjusting to the real world. i've been visiting a lot of friends, which has been great, but anytime i start to think about getting back into everything i was doing before i left (two jobs, hurling management, writing, etc), i start to feel a little overwhelmed and just need to take a step back for a minute. i know it's only been a day and a half so i'm trying to take it slow, but i don't really do that very well. i'm going to try and streamline a few things and maybe simplify a little bit (shocking to hear from me, i know).

anyway, i'll get around to a full debriefing in a day or two. still processing a bit, but i wanted to show my nice clean bike off. so there ya go.

until next time,

rftc,

scott

by the numbers + awards

by the numbers

1 bike
1 rider
4 tires
27 states
29 days
512 photos
588 songs on shuffle
8467.4 miles

awards

best music: the black keys. always rocking, never disappointing and great to sing along to.
runners up: the strokes, jet. much the same reasons.

worst music: phoenix. sorry guys, i like some of your stuff, but all the songs sound the same, and you can't sing to any of it. you were the first album i took off my mix.
runners up: the hives, vampire weekend. the hives were just too loud (this was partially the mastering on the album), and vampire weekend was too disjointed to really get a rhythm going. the other two albums i switched out.

best ride: route 62, from twentynine palms to springerville CA. through the desert, 100 miles of nothing. not even other cars. hot as hell, but an awesome ride.
runners up: route 60 through salt river canyon AZ, highway 12 from missoula to lewiston ID. both great rides (except the stretch of bad roads on 12), just not quite up to the desert crossing. it should be noted that national parks were exempt from this award.

worst ride: highway 60 through northern texas. straight flat roads through feed lots. no thanks.
runners up: highway 17 through south carolina, pennsylvania turnpike.

best state: south dakota. a close race, but in the end SD had great roads, beautiful scenery and the badlands.
runners up: wyoming, california. wyoming has yellowstone, which is a huge plus, but it also had some boring straight sections. california just has a bit of everything: forests, coast, desert, everything.

worst state: texas. need i go into detail?
runners up: south carolina, indiana. both were nothing but windy and annoying, basically states i had to get through to get to other, more interesting states. plus, south carolina sported a lot of confederate flags, and some racist mexican themed truck stops. granted i didn't spend significant time in indiana, so don't hold that one against me.

best piece of gear: this was a close one, since my saddlebags were awesome but, for pure usage and flexibility, i'm going with my cargo net. need to throw something on the back? throw it under the net.
runners up: ortlieb saddlebags, and plain old industrial garbage bags. by far the most reliable waterproofing i had.

worst piece of gear: i didn't really have any bad pieces of gear. i guess i'll give this one to my old jacket, since it stopped being waterproof, but i still love the thing.
runner up: my cold weather gloves. for not being windproof. they also weren't bad, though, unless it was really cold.

best meal: at the davidsons in new mexico. everything was delicious, and i'm picking up some green chiles at the store today.
runners up: everyone else who cooked for me. seriously, it was all delicious. i'm not just saying that.

worst meal: gas station BBQ in south carolina. chalk up one more in the negative column for SC.
runner up: leftover pizza for breakfast in montana. not a good way to start the day.

that's all i can think of. if you have any other awards you want me to grant (best/worst whatever), let me know and i'll happily oblige.

rftc,

scott

victory!

home! i made it! i rode my bike around the whole f#@king country!

sorry, i'm a little excited. it's a combination of excitment at being home (and at my usual coffee shop typing this) and exhilaration of completing this epic undertaking. when i started planning it, the whole idea of it was a little surreal. now that i'm done, being home seems a little surreal. granted, i've only been home 2.5 hours, but it still seems a little strange.

the ride today was actually pretty good. i keep forgetting how pretty the middle/eastern half of our state is until i go through it. rolling hills of wheat, some lovely river canyons and fun highways. we definitely hold our own as far as that goes. and coming through the pass? sure, it was wet. sure, it was a little cold. but not as wet or as cold as i was anticipating. i was prepared, i had the right gear, i took it easy and didn't rush things. and when i came into fall city the sky cleared up and i rode the rest of the way home in glorious northwest sunshine. truly awesome.

the trip actually had a comical ending, too. i was coming around the final bend to my house, up the hill, and i see something/someone waiting right at the end of my driveway. a welcome home party? nope. two motorcycle cops who flag me down for speeding up the hill. so instead of turning into my driveway, i have to drive 2 houses down and pull over for a traffic stop. i tell the police officer that i live right there. he tells me i was going 33 in a 25. he then looks over my bike and asks if i'm returning home from a trip. i tell him he has no idea, then proceed to tell him where i've been. he looks over my bike again and, instead of a ticket, offers me a handshake and welcomes me home, asking how the bike held up. a super nice guy, and we chat a bit about the trip and the bike. he even agrees to take my coming home picture:



i think it's an awesome ending to the trip, personally. especially since it didn't end in a ticket.

and so i went home. and went inside. and celebrated.

and then took a shower.

how do i feel now? happy. a little relieved. very, very tired. and a little out of place. it kind of feels like the first time i went back to college after graduating. like i'm just looking in at everything, but i'm not really a part of it.

and the plan? well, after this i'm going to go to the grocery store so i can make myself a homemade, healthy dinner before heading to the pub to celebrate properly. tomorrow i'm doing the unpacking, sorting and cleaning of gear. i'll also get vixen set up for everyday riding again, including washing her. my baby definitely needs a bath:


although, to be fair, i could probably use a little cleaning up too:

you like the mountain man look? i'll admit it's the fullest my beard's come in yet. i guess this trip increased my manliness.

i'm going to do another debrief in a few days or so, after i've had a chance to relax a bit and settle back in. sort out my thoughts after i've truly had a chance to be back in the real world for a while. for now, though, i can say that i've traveled around our country, and it is pretty great. there are as many things different as there are the same. it was definitely a life changing experience. i can also definitely say, without a doubt, that after seeing what else is out there, i can't think of anywhere else i'd rather call home.

until next time,

rftc,

scott

washington state!

i tried. really i did. i was going to sleep in and take my time getting to walla walla, meeting my brother and sister-in-law when they got home, around 5 or 6.

the problem is i got tired after my day yesterday and so i crashed early-ish, around 11pm, and then i couldn't sleep past 7am which, if you remember, is actually 6 pacific time. so what was supposed to be a late start ended up starting around 7:45. oh well.

i have to say, though, highway 12 is pretty awesome. i was on it all day, from missoula to walla walla, through lolo pass and idaho down into lewiston and then into washington (yay!) and walla walla. a fantastic road. exactly what i though 89 was going to be. nice and twisty, but not too crazy that i needed to drop below 4th gear. good speed limits, fantastic scenery and, in spite of the crisp weather (blame my early start) and some less-than-ideal road conditions for a stretch before lowell, one of the best sections of highway i've been on the entire trip. if they just finished repaving, it would definitely be one of my favorite all time rides. and the best part? it was through lush, full evergreen forest. it's so good to be back in the pacific northwest. unfortunately, my camera was still exhausted from yellowstone (battery) so i couldn't get any pictures. most of you reading this know what pacific northwest forests look like. evergreen excellence.

even when i dropped out of the pass it was still lovely, carving through canyon country in idaho before heading into the plains of eastern washington, following the river the whole way (which river? i'm not entirely sure. clearwater? the name may have changed throughout the trip).

a celebratory lunch in clarkston (the first town in my home state) and now i'm here in downtown walla walla (i missed the turn to my brother's house, but he's not home yet and i was going to head downtown anyway).

and tomorrow i'm home. it's weird to think about and yet, in some ways, a relief. i'm a bit road-weary. i'm already starting to try to get back into the swing of things with work stuff and the like. in fact, i already have the rest of my evenings booked this week before i'm officially back on the job sunday (if you're in the area, my welcome home shindig is at pies and pints tomorrow night, starting 7ish). the upside? i'm still riding strong, still enjoying every minute of it, and though i miss home, i'll be ready to jump right back on the bike (as soon as i wash my gear and she gets her 12K scheduled maintenance. she's a little overdue already). i don't think there's anything better than that. 8K+ miles and i'm ready for more.

anyway, i'll have the stats rundown tomorrow, along with the best/worst of for the trip. it's been awesome, but it's time to get home.

next time, i'll be posting from sea-town (or suburbs thereof)!

rftc,

scott

day of super awesome, the 2nd

woot. today rocked. again. this trip is really ending on a high note.

today was all about yellowstone. i wanted to make sure i had plenty of time to do the park (at least the route i was taking through, which was barely 1/4 of the whole park), so i got an early start, taking off from cody right around sunrise, a little after 7am. a side effect of this trip is that it may be making me even more of a morning person.

after a quick 50 mile trip to the park gate, i was ready for some sight-seeing. i had bundled up quite a bit, even though it was in the mid-50s in cody, since i knew i'd be gaining a lot of altitude and a good thing i did, since it was probably around 40 degrees when i got to the park at 8am. i wasn't wearing my gorrila gloves, though, since i wanted to have better dexterity and control for the park. i wasn't going to be going that fast once inside, and there was no way i'd be operating a camera with the taped gloves.

there were so many amazing views and pictures that i took it was really hard to pick some to show here, so i've tried to pick a few from some different areas. they'll be scattered throughout chronologically. this first one was in the first few miles into the park, just one of the awesome landscapes spread out as i was riding along throughout the day:



and that was just the beginning. remember earlier, how i was mentioning the lack of wildlife on this trip so far, and how i was a little disappointed? well, it didn't take long to remedy this as, a couple of miles down the road from this view, i almost hit a deer. oops. i was riding through a forested section when a 3- or 4-point buck (big deer) leaped across the road right in front of me. i hit the brakes in time, so no harm no foul, but it sure got my heart going. it was a great way to start the park (as opposed to hitting the deer, which would have been lousy) and was actually rather exhilarating. a few minutes later i saw some less active deer by the side of the road and got a few pictures, but nothing spectacular. a promising start, nonetheless.

moving on down the road a bit further, the road wrapped around yellowstone lake, which was perfectly calm, with the last few remains of mist rising up from the morning cold:


again, beautiful. i'm going to stop stating that everything i saw was beautiful, or gorgeous, or breath-taking, because this post would become very redundant very quickly. anyway, i rode on down the road into the park when i quickly came upon a herd of bison grazing by the side of the road. by the way, bison are awesome. you think honey badgers don't give a sh#t? try a bison. they just go wherever they want because what are you going to do? they're huge, they don't care about you or what you're doing and they're everywhere. seriously. i saw so many bison, it was crazy. this one was grazing right up on the shoulder of the road:


i was seriously that close. probably 6 feet away, if that. this happened again later down the road when i stopped to look at something else (i'll tell you in a second) and two more GIANT bison were just moseying down the road. probably 6 feet from me and the bike and much bigger than this guy (the pics weren't as good, though). let me tell you, from personal experience, you don't really realize how much of a safety net a car is until you don't have one. the only thing i had between me and these guys was my riding suit and helmet. yeah they were just ambling along, but damn it was still a little unnerving. and very, very cool.

anyway, the reason i had stopped was because i was catching glimpses of something across the river and i had stopped to see what it was. it turned out to be one of the most amazing things i have ever seen in person, in my life. granted i haven't had kids yet or anything, but this was a truly awesome thing to behold. across the river were two elk, one doe and one juvenile (mother and baby?). the young one was in the middle of the river while the doe was on the edge of the opposite bank, fending off two black wolves. they would approach, she would drive them back. they came at her again, she charged again. sometimes she would retreat into the river, sometimes she would successfully drive them off for a minute or two. but they kept at it, trying different angles, testing her. it was incredible to watch. i must have stood there for 20 minutes, absolutely spellbound, until they moved out of sight down the river. i have no idea what happened to the elk, or the wolves, but it was an amazing experience. it seemed very surreal to get back on my motorcycle, push a magic button and tootle on down the road at 40 mph after that. but there it is.

i was traveling up the east side of the grand loop, which took me by the canyon (apparently it doesn't have a name), which had some cool falls and some awesome scenic views, like this one:


i spent a fair amount of time chilling at the various points, including a small snack at inspiration point, where i got someone to take my picture. unfortunately, they didn't frame it very well, so the only picture of me at yellowstone is less than impressive.

the other major stop i made was at the norris geyser basin, with sulfur pits and thermal zones, lots of which were bubbling, none of which were geysering. smelled great, though. i was still smelling rotten eggs until i took a shower at my hotel. there were some amazing colors present in some of the pools, though. nature can do some pretty amazing things.


what struck me while riding through was how varied the landscape was in such a small (relative) area. i went through forests, high mountain tundra, sulfurous thermal zones, canyons and more, all within a 100 miles stretch (and not even a straight 100 miles). i was wondering if it was a coincidence that all these cool features are so close together or if their creation was all interconnected. i'm sure there's an answer, but i don't feel like doing the research right now.

i spent a total of about 5 hours in the park and, as i said, i barely saw 1/4 of the whole place, and i wasn't even truly taking my time where i was. i'd stop in, snap a few pictures, maybe hang out for a few minutes and then move on. another place i really want to go back to and spend some serious time there.

i think i'm in danger of becoming a national park addict. i hear there's a passport you can get to mark off all of them. i think it would be awesome to do them all on a motorcycle. although there are a lot in alaska. that could be tricky. still, worth looking into (i'm sure my mom is thrilled to hear this line of thought).

the rest of the day was fine, but non-descript. i went out the north gate of the park on highway 89. according to my dad's harley davidson road atlas, this is one of the best motorcycling highways in the US. it was very nice, but i can see why it was recommended in a harley book. lots of super wide, sweeping curves perfect for a half-ton harley loaded down with HD gear and two riders, with a nice, fast speed limit. true, it was through a gorgeous valley with great views but, after yellowstone it wasn't nearly as awe-inspiring as it may have been otherwise and, on vixen, some of the straightaways that accompanied the curves were a little boring. still a good ride, though.

after that it was I-90 which went quick, except for battling a few headwinds. i got into butte (my intended destination) around 3:30, which was way too early for my tastes. again, when i'm by myself and there's nothing for me to do, i'd rather keep going and get some more miles down as opposed to hanging out in a hotel room or wandering around (i'm not much of a shopper). so i kept going for a while, and now i'm in missoula. much better. got in around 5:30, found pizza, beer, ice cream and sunday night football. i'm a happy camper. and tomorrow i have an easy cruise down highway 12 to walla walla, followed by a short day home. it's truly almost over. my long days are behind me, as is my major interstate travel. a good feeling, to be sure.

almost home!

rftc,

scott

3 days to go...

i set out this morning all ready for some cold riding, complete with my new gloves. see?


classy, right? amazingly enough they actually work fairly well for blocking the wind, though my flexibility is a little limited. i didn't end up using them for that long, however, due to a very strange happening. i headed out from the motel and it was probably 50 degrees, maybe a little warmer. i was cruising along as expected when, about 20 miles down the road, i came up and rise and it felt like someone flicked a switch. all of a sudden, it was 10 degrees warmer. seriously. too warm for what i was wearing. i stopped and layered down for the first time, but it wouldn't be the last.

after that it was cruising on 90. the first stop? sturgis SD, home of the biggest HD rally in the world (i think). of course, the rally happens in early august, but it's still very much an HD town. bikes were everywhere, as well as stores selling accessories and t-shirts and whatnot. i stopped by the sturgis HD dealer because, well, you kind of have to, and then took a quick tour of the motorcycle museum and hall of fame. it was pretty cool. lots of classic bikes, and some rare ones too. moto-nerd heaven in many ways. here's a sampling:


that's a 1956 triumph tiger cub in the front, and this was just one room of many. i wandered around a bit before i started getting antsy and decided it was time to hit the road.

the original plan was to take 90 all the way to sheridan, then hope on highway 14 to cody wyoming, which is about 50 miles from yellowstone. i should mention, however, that through south dakota and wyoming the speed limit on I-90 is 75 mph, and when you're on a bike like mine, fairly light with minimal wind protection, those can be some hard miles. you get pretty tired fighting wind for too long, and so when buffalo came up and the turn-off for highway 16, which is a southern, slightly longer route to cody, i decided i had had enough interstate for one day.

16 turned out to be a very nice ride. going through powder river pass was a fun road full of twisties, though it got a little chilly higher up with the altitude. here's some of the view i had during the ride:


i stopped for lunch in the tiny town of ten sleeps, at the ten sleeps saloon, listening to town gossip while i ate. it was actually very fortunate that i stopped there, since a friendly local named bob who was sitting next to me noticed me looking at my map. he informed me that there was construction on the road to worland which included 10 miles or so of gravel. not so fun. he showed me an alternate route, taking lower nowood road to state route 31, which bypasses worland altogether and takes you directly to manderson. it was an awesome little detour. the road was empty, with sweeping curves and lovely scenery, and it cut about 20 miles off my route, not to mention whatever time i saved by avoiding the construction. chalk one up for local info.

i pulled in to cody around 4:45 or so, after 30 miles of terribly boring straight farm roads, and wandered around town for a bit before settling down in the hotel. i may head out to see if there's some live music playing in a bit, or i could just crash. tomorrow i'm heading through yellowstone which could take some time. according to google a straight shot through the park to butte is a little over 5 hours, but you never know with national parks. not to mention i'm hardly planning on just driving straight through. if i can get to butte, though, i'll be in good shape to get to walla walla the next day.

and then home. yeesh. i'm almost home. that's crazy to think about. i think it'll be about time, that's for sure. i'm a little tired of being on the road. i'm still enjoying the riding, and i'm seeing some amazing scenery, but the road part is wearing on me a bit.

anyway, one more good day down, hopefully 3 more to go.

rftc,

scott

badlands pictures

just a sampling...

the day of super awesome

well, ironies of ironies: i had an awesome day with amazing scenery and i can't get any photos to load. so i get to tell you all about my day, but you don't get to see any of it. if i can get them loaded later, i'll try to have a special picture post.

the day started good and early, and i got out of town and on the road by 8am. heading north and west on 275, i was getting some good miles down, with the one downside that it was cold. darn cold. around 40 degrees cold. i had layered up in the morning, and i was actually mostly warm, except for my hands. those fancy new gloves i got, so i would be covered in rain and wind? well, they don't work so well in wind. in fact, they didn't do anything. my hands were very, very cold by the time i got to my first stop around 100 miles down the road. i was hiding one hand behind the tank and my throttle hand, which i couldn't hide, i had wrapped in a plastic bag to help cut down the wind. still cold.

luckily norfolk NE was a big enough time to have some regular retail outlets and i thought i would try and find some new winter gloves. i thought some nice hunting gloves might do the trick a bit better. the best place in town for finding such things was unfortunately walmart, but at least it was heated. lo and behold, the mighty walmart did not have hunting gloves, or any good winter gloves for that matter, so i had to improvise. one cheap pair of ski gloves and a roll of gorilla tape later, i have some insulated gloves that might stand up to the wind. i hope so, because i don't think it's getting any warmer. we'll see how they do tomorrow.

the rest of the day was excellent. nebraska has been the surprise state of the trip thus far, with lovely scenery and fun, windy roads through the country. some farms, some corn, some cows, even some forests and sage as you get further north. even though the walmart excursion ate up an hour, i still made it to valentine for lunch, just south of the south dakota border. just north of the border i got delayed again when we had to wait for an accident to get cleared on the highway. no one was hurt, but there were some oversized trucks that were having trouble getting through. by this time it was quite toasty, and i had been shedding layers consistently, but i was still sweating nicely, just in time for my long stretch with no laundry.

back on the road, and i just have to say, south dakota rocks! the landscape is beautiful, the roads are good and twisty and fun, and the speed limits are good and high. i had a great ride leading to the badlands and, thanks to an unexpected time change in my favor, i got to the park in time to ride through before stopping for the night.

first off, wow. second, it's a good thing i got there today, because i would have spent far too much time there and felt way too rushed tomorrow morning to enjoy it fully. i have to say that, so far, badlands is the coolest place i've been on the trip. amazing stuff. truly amazing. i spent far too much time at the first few stops because it was so gorgeous. i really wasn't set up for hiking, which is unfortunate, but i did manage a short little loop for a scenic overview. it was worth it.

in some ways, it's appropriate that i couldn't load any pictures, because there are some places that just can't be done justice with photographs. as a somewhat appropriate justice by the fates, my camera ran out of batteries about halfway through the park. i was a little bummed, but not terribly. the rest of the time was spent just riding through the park and absorbing everything. i stopped and had lunch at a picnic area, which consisted of my leftover subway sandwich and a bag of melted-but-tasty animal cookies. it was a good dinner, with the sun setting behind the rock formations and a nice wind cooling everything.

it was one of those places i could easily spend a week, or take pictures every minute, and still not be done. it was also the first place on this trip i wished i wasn't on a motorcycle. bike travel is just not condusive to hiking. i really want to return sometime and spend a few nights in the park and hike some of the trails.

after the park i headed into wall, SD where i checked into the best western (always the place to stay). i took a walk to the infamous wall drug, but it was closed early apparently, since it was only 7:30 and they were locked up tight. i spent 10 minutes sitting in a bar without service before deciding i didn't even want a beer and got some chocolate milk at the gas station before returning to the hotel.

since i went through the park today, i'll have plenty of time to get to cody wyoming tomorrow, and i can even stop in a little place called sturgis. i hear they like motorcycles there (though it should be pretty quiet right now). then i'll get to take my time through yellowstone and make it to butte in plenty of time.

almost home! crazy.

rftc,

scott

amber waves of grain

that's right, i'm back in the heartland! today i spent most of the day in iowa, that mystical place with lots of corn. corn and...uh...i saw a few windmills. corn and windmills. and corn.

to be honest, though, it was a pretty good day. i got an early start, though i didn't really get out of the suburbs that early. i mapped out a route through some side roads that was supposed to deliver me onto I-88 past any toll booths, because i'm sick of paying tolls. i thought that's what taxes were for. anyway, the route i planned would have worked, had it not taken me so long due to stop lights and low speed limits. i probably lost 60-90 minutes heading out that way, and i jumped on 88 early and had to pay a few tolls anyway. no worries, though. you win some you lose some, and this trip has been nothing if not trial and error.

speaking of, the other thing that slowed me down a bit today was clothing. it was nice and sunny all day, but the temp was just cold enough to be deceptive and with the wind it was downright chilly on the bike, so i ended up stopping several times early to layer up and make sure i was warm enough. tomorrow i'm starting off fully clothed, and if i need to shed some layers it just means it's a nice day.

the rest of the day came and went. mostly on interstate, through lots of corn fields. it was actually lovely scenery for about 20 minutes. then it kind of got old. there were some cool cloud formations, and it was kind of fun passing trucks, but the day was kind of nondescript, in a pleasant way. just traveling along in the midwest, making my way home. here's a picture of what most of the day looked like:


not a great picture, but it was taken across the interstate from a "rest area." that's in quotations because where i come from, a rest area means a bathroom, sometimes some vending machines and, if you're lucky, some nice folks from the elks club giving out free coffee and cookies. here in the midwest they have some of those. they also have these "rest areas" that are glorified turnouts with places for trucks to park. that's it. no bathrooms, no cookies. hardly a rest, if you ask me.

so the day went until i got into council bluff iowa. now, if you look at a map you will see that council bluff is right across the river from omaha. it is, but why was i going through it instead of staying on 80 to goin directly into omaha? well, that's the magic of google directions. i don't know. google had me get off the interstate early and head through council bluff and downtown omaha before reaching my destination. except i didn't reach my destination until after a 45 minute detour, since my directions led me in a big circle (upon reexamining the directions, apparently my dyslexia is to blame, since i wrote down 48th instead of 84th. this caused me to turn the wrong direction on the next street and had a lovely tour of a random omaha neighborhood). luckily, the steelers bar i found (steelers fans in omaha, who knew?) was full of people interested in finding my location, and one of them had a smart phone. so i eventually found it. some good conversation, great food (and pie!) and wonderful hospitality, and all's well that ends well.

from here on out i'm kind of freeforming it home. the plan is thus: tomorrow i'm heading up through nebraska on 275 until i get as close as i can to the badlands in south dakota, where i'll find a hotel. the next morning i get up early and take the loop through the park before heading into wyoming, where i'm trying to get as close to yellowstone as i can (hopefully cody, but as close as i can get). then, it's through yellowstone and out the north gate on highway 89, which is supposed to be one of the best rides in the US on a bike. see how far i can get out of the park, and then to walla walla, then home. sounds good, yes?

that's the plan anyway. we'll see how it goes. there could be some long days in there, but that's the beauty of travel. you just get to see what happens.

till next time,

rftc,

scott

finally in chicago...

or should i say finally through chicago. but that's at the end of the day. let's start at the beginning.

today was a tough day. for several reasons, but primarily physically. i usually say that the riding is the easy part. well, not today it wasn't.

i got off to a somewhat late start, partially because i had the time to spare and partially because it had started raining again in cleveland and i was hoping it would pass. it didn't. on the bright side, i got to test out my new jacket right away. on the down side, i was riding through rain again for the first 90 minutes. luckily, the jacket works quite well and i arrived at my first service plaza (gas/food stops accessible without leaving the turnpike) dry and in good spirits. i gassed up and layered up a bit (i hadn't worn much leaving since it wasn't cold, just raining) and headed out again. around this time the weather changed and got nice and warm, so i had to stop again rather quickly and take out the liner i had just put in. luckily this was the end of the fluctuating weather.

there isn't much to the rest of the day. it consisted of me sitting on the bike getting battered by the wind as i attempted to stay in my lane. seriously. it sucked. it wasn't even constant, where i could just ride at a lean, i was getting thrown every which way every other minute. my neck was rather sore by the end of the day, as were my shoulders from gripping the bars so tightly. the problem with wind, besides the obvious, is that the instinct is to lean forward and speed up, trying to cut through it. unfortunately this rarely works, and it usually only results in more whiplash and having to work harder. every now and then i would counter my instincts and slow down a bit (65 instead of 70 did the trick) and actually sit up straight with correct posture. amazingly, this tended to give me a bit of a break, as the wind dispersion was a little kinder to my neck and head that way, and the slightly slower speeds helped as well. it also helped to occasionally use my offhand to hold my helmet steady so it wasn't getting pushed back against my face. that was nice.

anyway, the day went on like this, with me taking frequent breaks to rest up, including a nice leisurely lunch. afterwards, it was only about 2:15 chicago time (i had gained an hour) and i only had around 130 miles to go. cake, i though. well, as it turns out, not so much. with my rate of travel including stops to rest my muscles, what should have been a quick finish to the day turned into a crawl (literally) when i pulled into the chicago area right around 4:30. that's right, rush hour. yee haw. by the way, chicago doesn't have any of those lovely HOV lanes seattle does, so i couldn't escape through those.

since I-90 goes right through the heart of chicago, which is where everyone was either trying to get to or from, i was going at an abysmal rate and trying to find a way out of it. when i saw an exit for 290 W, which hooks up with 294 (my eventual destination) south of 90, i took it. my logic was the sooner i could get out of the city, the sooner the traffic would dissipate. since 90 kept going through the city and 290 went directly away from it, i hoped it would get easier sooner. we'll never know for sure, because i didn't keep going on 90, but it sure didn't get any better on 290. pretty soon i was back looking at the map trying to find alternate routes. i decided to push my luck and have a bit of an adventure and got off the interstate altogether, jumping on route 48 N, which took me through some random chicago suburbs to eventually hook back up with 90, or even highway 14 (my exit from 294). turns out it was a smart move. though the speed limits were low and there were plenty of stop lights, traffic was light and i was moving. always a better state to be in (motion).

it took a little longer than i thought, but i made it back to a much less crowded 90 and the rest of the way to mount prospect and my cousin's house was easy. the damage was done though. the last 65 miles of my trip took me approximately 4 hours. instead of getting in early i was a couple hours late. par for the course, it seems.

so now i'm wiped and i'm off to bed. tomorrow i head to omaha. it had better not have traffic.

rftc,

scott

cleveland rocks!

says the song anyway. in truth, it's not that bad, but to say it rocks? i'd have to spend a little more time here.

i am, however, spending a longer-than-usual layover here (well, not longer than recently, but longer than planned), with some much needed gear-updating and some touristy things. the ride this morning was fine, though slightly damp. it didn't rain again, just much of my gear wasn't quite dry yet from yesterday. the turnpike continued with the construction, though it did wind through some more lovely hills and midwest-y forests. turns out i was pretty damn close last night, and it only took about 2 hours to get to lakewood OH, just outside of cleveland.

after a quick shower and change of clothes, we went looking for a new jacket. now i actually like my jacket quite a bit. sure it's a little short in the sleeves, but it is very comfortable and i've grown attached to it over the last 10 years. however, it is letting the water through like a sieve, and that will not do for a trip home that may very well include increasing rain as i go. so i reluctantly agreed to replace it.

we started with a harley dealer close to our lunch place (which was an amazing sandwich with coleslaw and french fries in it!) and quickly struck out. not that i expected anything other than HD gear at the dealer, but i guess i expected that harley would have at least one kind of good all-weather jacket in their lineup. nope. harley riders are a fair-weather bunch apparently, or they just throw rain suits on over their leathers (which i do on occasion myself).

the only other place i could find online was a suzuki/victory/polaris place called all ohio powersports. i think they mean they serve the entire state, because there literally weren't any other listings in cleveland except for harley dealers. we finally found the place after about 45 minutes of driving around and almost struck out there as well. their gear was almost exclusively name-brand stuff, victory or suzuki, and all performance gear. they had exactly one jacket that fit the bill and exactly one left in my size. go figure. not having much choice in the matter (and spending a little more than i wanted to), i purchased my new jacket (photo credit: tyler whidden):


ok, not what i would have picked given a wider selection, but i'll be seen, right? overlooking the asthetics, though, it's actually a very nice jacket. the outer shell is mesh, and it has separate zipouts, one water/windproof and one quilted for warmth. so as long as i don't keep anything in the outside pockets, i should be dry and warm. it fits quite well, too, a little better than my old one (i hate to admit it). the sleeves fit well and should keep the water from dripping into my gloves. i think it will be a very good, versatile jacket not only for the ride home, but for commuting this winter.

after we found that, where else is there to go in cleveland? why, the rock and roll hall of fame, that's where! we did the full tour, including the special exhibit on "women who rock". it was a pretty cool place, definitely on par with the EMP in seattle in terms of the exhibits (though not as interactive). there was some cool stuff on the roots of rock, and on how the scenes developed in specific cities (they had a grunge section, of course). and they had quite a bit on jimi, which surprised me a bit, since there's a lot in seattle as well. i guess he had a lot of things to go around. a favorite of mine (and for other seattle-ites) was a childhood drawing of his of a hydroplace race. can't get much more seattle than that.

unfortunately they didn't allow pictures inside, but here's one of me and my cleveland experience:


that's the rock and roll hall of fame, the great lakes science center and cleveland browns stadium in the background. all on the shores of lake erie. yeah midwest!

tonight it's mexican for dinner, before a relatively short day to chicago. hopefully i won't have any more problems. or anything else i need to buy. i knew there would be unexpected expenses, but between the jacket and the tires, it's been a pricey few days.

i guess you could call this the home stretch? i'm pretty much heading west from here on out, which feels good. i still have a week on the road, but i've been gone for 3. anyway, it feels good to be pointing toward home. i still have a few stops to make first, though.

rftc,

scott

delay day

that's right, it's delay day. what does that mean? it means nothing went as planned.

first, though, a few observations/requests:

1) please people; drive on the right, pass on the left. it's not that f@#king hard.

2) whoever told me the PA turnpike would be vacant of trucks because it was too expensive (you know who you are) is a big fat liar. what was the first clue? oh, how about the sign that said "heavy truck traffic" when i first got on the thing.

and now, the day:

i actually got to sleep in relatively for me, until the ripe old time of 7:30, when i got up and got about my day. i think i already mentioned earlier the tire adventure, so i'll just gloss over that. i got new tires and got to hang out a bit with an old friend i was unaware lived so close to falls church VA until i called him on a whim, and then i was on the road (finally). i got going around 2pm.

now, it was a late start, granted, but i was actually in a good mood. i was having a horrible time until i got to the actual dealer. once i got there safe and realized i was able to get new tires the same day (and in only a couple of hours) i cheered up considerably. i got on the road tired but content. how tired i was, i didn't realize until i got going. i didn't make it out of maryland before i had to stop and get some coffee (i drink coffee on the road. it's cheap, available and very tasty when you're cold and tired). it was also a little colder than i originally thought, so i switched out my gloves. after that, however, i was chipper and ready to roll.

things went fine for a while after that. i got some miles down on I-70 before heading into pennsylvania and jumping on the turnpike (which is also I-70, as well as I-76). the drive was actually quite lovely, despite being on an interstate. western PA has some very nice country, up in the hills among the forests. the low clouds intermingling with the trees presented a very peaceful image, and i was in high spirits. it was drizzling on and off, but that's not much concern to me, since i'm used to that type of weather, and i was geared for it.

this kept going for a while and, unfortunately, so did the rain, increasing from a drizzle to showers. when i stopped for dinner at one of the travel stops, i was a little cold and a bit wet as well. after eating, i knew it was only going to get colder and, hopefully not but possibly, wetter, so i geared up as much as i could. i went balls to the wall and put on every piece of warm gear i had. it consisted of:

-the liner for my pants (which i honestly thought i would never use on the trip)
-both my long sleeve shirt and my pullover
-a garbage bag cut to go under my coat for wind coverage (this worked awesomely, by the way)
-my light jacket
-the cooling vest, dry (thought another layer couldn't hurt)
-my outer jacket

throw in my balaclava for good measure, and i was warm and happy. seriously, i was perfectly comfortable on the road and ready to get to cleveland. unfortunatly, three things happened all at once. 1, it got dark. 2, it started raining heavily. 3, the road got torn up (construction). the construction had been happening on and off, and resulted in iffy road surfaces all throughout the turnpike. when you combined that with the rain and darkness, my visibility turned to almost nothing. if one of these factors hadn't been present, i might have been able to keep going. but the way it was, at the best of times i was going about 5 mph under the speed limit with my brights on and still barely making out the road. not the best way to travel.

so when i saw an exit for a hotel a few miles before the ohio border, i reluctantly accepted my fate and decided to let my mom stop worrying (i'm sure she had a suspicious, nagging feeling of dread the last hour or so). so i'm in beaver falls PA (i had to ask at the front desk) for the night, running my clothes through the dryer and hoping my gloves will dry out by tomorrow (they weighed about 3 times heavier than normal). because though my pants worked great and everything under the garbage bag was dry, my coat once again did zilch for any type of water-resistance. i guess after you've had a coat almost 10 years it tends to wear out. who knew?

the plan is this:

i'm continuing on to cleveland tomorrow, to hang out with my good buddy and go shopping for a new coat. i've heard that scotchguard can work as well, but i need more than a temporary solution since i'm also commuting via bike this winter to work (fyi: during the winter, it rains a lot in seattle). i'm spending tomorrow night in cleveland before continuing to head west on wednesday.

this puts me officially one day behind schedule. that's ok, though, because i needed to add a day somewhere if i didn't want to beat my brother to his house in walla walla. i'll be a day late into chicago and omaha, and then take 4 days to walla walla. looking at the map, i'm thinking my approximate stops can be around badlands SD (riding through the park in the morning), sheridan WY (where i may have a place to stay, thanks to a good friend's family), then through yellowstone the next day to butte MT or thereabouts, and then to walla walla. this does cut out craters of the moon but, to be honest, i'm not too bummed about it. i've heard it's just a bunch of potholes in the middle of nowhere.

and, to be honest, i'm starting to get a little homesick. i started to realize today just how big of an undertaking this is, and how much time i'm spending on the road. i'm still enjoying myself, but i think that when i get home i will be very ready for it. COTM would add a significant amount of time/miles to the trip, probably adding an entire day, and i just don't think it would be worth it.

so that's the new plan. hopefully these past few days of little problems and delays won't become habit. of course, if everything went to plan it wouldn't be an adventure, would it?

rftc,

scott

quick tire update

well i got up this morning and, after finally getting my tire full enough to ride on with a cigarette-lighter air pump, i (very cautiously) made the 25 miles trek to coleman powersports in falls church virginia. yes, that was the closest dealer.

anyway, i got there a little after ten and, as luck would have it, they were actually pretty open schedule-wise. so after getting the rundown, i picked out two brand new tires for my bike. she's now running on metzer Z8 sport-tourers. the guys at the shop were surprised my old ones had even lasted that long.

so i'm just about to get on the road again, just half a day behind. i'm still shooting for cleveland tonight, though it might be a late one. if i need to, i can always catch a hotel somewhere and catch up on my itinerary tomorrow, since chicago is a short trip fom cleveland, and i gain an hour (finally these time zones are working in my favor).

don't know if i'll get a chance to update tonight. depends on when i get in and how tired i am. i am back in business, though, and looking forward to getting back out there!

rftc,

scott

the day everything happened

this is going to be a long one folks. bear with me.

we'll flash through the morning by saying that even though the weather said it was going to be mostly clear and around 70, fall decided to come early and it was 55-60 with occasional drizzles all morning. i layered up at my first gas stop, but i was fine. it didn't take me long to figure out a) my route paralleling 95 was barely different than 95, and b) when it's cold and dreary i care much less about scenic routes. so i jumped on 95.

it would have been a super quick day had it not been for a few things, some good, some bad. first was the good when, having so much time to spare, i decided to stop in fredericksburg VA to see some civil war stuff. i stopped at the site for the battle of fredericksburg and arrived just in time for a guided tour, which was very cool. i learned far more than i would have just walking around reading the signs, and i got to stretch my legs a bit. here are some highlights:

this is the original wall the confederate infantry used for cover during the union's attack. they estimate it was built in 1812. in addition to this, the confederates had one of their top artillery units (the washington artillery) on the hill above this area with 9 cannon. it was a confederate victory.

this is inside the innis house, which was owned by a local woman who may or may not have run a house of ill-repute (gasp). it was used as one of the headquarters by the confederates, with sharpshooters positioned on the second story. these are actual bullet holes made by union sharpshooters during the battle that are still in the walls. pretty cool stuff.

finally, the cemetery. this is the willis hill cemetery, which has over 33,000 soldiers buried, almost 20,000 are unknowns. it was a little humbling, to tell the truth.

after walking around a bit i had lunch and gassed up for the final leg into DC. i was only about 50 miles out, so this should have been a nice easy ride to finish up the day. unfortunately, this was when the fun began.

as i headed out onto the freeway, i noticed that my handling was maybe a little sluggish. nothing major or panic-worthy, but i had to pull a little extra for some of those turns. well, some time just south of alexandria one of the sadistic truck drivers who love tailgating me turned out to not be tailgating but trying to signal me. when i pulled over to check things out i found that my rear tire was at least half flat. yikes. needless to say i carefully rode to the nearest exit and found a station at which to fill it up (for a hefty $1).

now, when i got the oil changed yesterday in greenville, they mentioned that the pressure was a bit low in the rear tire, but they said they just filled it and didn't seem too worried about it. now i was thinking that maybe they should have looked a little harder. anyway, i stopped to check the air a few times as i continued on to DC (actually hyattsville maryland), and it seemed to be holding up fine. after getting a little lost on my way to my friend's house, i arrive very frustrated at the facts that a) my tire has a leak, and b) it's sunday, so nothing will be open. plus, my tire is audibly hissing, which usually means that it is not a slow leak. anyway, i park the bike and start making some phone calls. sure enough, nothing to be done until tomorrow morning at 10am, when the nearest dealer opens. i'm lucky they're even open on mondays, as many dealers take a sunday/monday weekend.

so, with nothing more to be done on that, i shower up and we all head in to DC to see the sights. this was the other good part of the day. i've never been to DC before, and so i wanted to do the whole monument tour, the white house, you know, the big stuff. turns out that is a lot of walking. and we didn't even get to the capital building. but we made the whole monument circuit, walked around the mall (and the white house) and even got to the jefferson memorial. again, here are some picture highlights:


the vietnam memorial, one of my favorites. reflections of the living in the names of the dead. very simple, very powerful. a lot of names.

the reflecting pool. such a pretty sight. you can almost imagine MLK (or forrest gump) commanding the crowds in such an impressive venue.


here's me rubbing the ears of FDR's dog at his memorial (FDR's, not the dog's). apparently this is good luck, and accounts for the very shiny dog ears.


and finally, a nice view from across the basin (i think that's what it's called) of the washington monument and jefferson memorial. yup, we walked around the whole thing. like i said, we did the entire circuit, except for the capital building. by that time it was time for dinner (and beer).

then, upon arriving back at the apartment, i check the rear tire again. noticeably flat. damn.

so what happens now? i get up tomorrow and get all ready to go as usual, just not quite as early. i check the tire and see if i need to pump it up before heading to the dealer (luckily, my friend has a pump). at the dealer they can hopefully either patch or (more likely) replace the tire. hopefully they'll have the right kind in stock, and hopefully they can get to it that day. otherwise i could be in DC a little longer than planned. i'm not too happy about that. not that i don't like this town (and my friends), but i don't want to have to cut out any visits in order to get home in time for work, and i'm already antsy enough to get on the road.

hopefully this will be a relatively easy fix and they can help me out at the dealer. i'm really hoping it doesn't turn into a huge layover/headache. i guess we'll just have to see.

i'm tired, i'm going to crash. hopefully i'll have good news tomorrow.

rftc,

scott

rest day numero dos

i'm not very good at resting on rest days. today we took a trip to beaufort out on the coast, so i could finally see the atlantic ocean. after spending 4 days on the eastern seaboard, i thought i was about time i found the damn thing. turns out, my brother patrick has been here a month and hasn't seen it yet. it was about a 90 minute drive or so and we had to go to the outer banks (they trick you with a fake coast line), but we found the beach. many pictures were taken, and i rode a dolphin like a surfboard:




the pacific is still better.

to be honest, i'm not really digging the rest days. i'm enjoying the visits, and from that sense it's nice to have more than one evening to see people but, from a riding standpoint, it's really throwing me off. i think from here on out i'm going to try and get some miles in each day. i'm staying with people for the next 4 nights or so, which will help me keep moving since i have a schedule, but after that i'm freeforming it until walla walla. i have some national parks i want to hit, but other than that it's just traveling solo. i think my original itinerary had me taking 4 days between omaha and walla walla, which would put me there a day before my brother gets back home. also this would give me some very long days, so i might throw an extra day in there so i can see about properly doing yellowstone. after that it's just getting home. i have a feeling that, at that point, i'm going to be ready to get off the road and may not care about scenery much. but who knows?

tomorrow, however, i have a relatively short day to DC. i'm avoiding 95 like the plague, but i'm actually paralleling it most of the day on hwys 301 and 1. i thought about going out to the coast and through norfolk, but then i looked at the weather report and it seems that they are expecting rain all day out there. on the interior it's supposed to be around 70 and partly sunny all day. only perfect riding weather. it was a tough call.

if i have time i want to stop at a civil war site around fredericksburg, but i want to get to DC in time to actually go to the mall and see the sights (i've never been), so we'll see how the timing goes. i'm hoping for an early start, so we'll see.

next time you hear from me, i'll be in our nation's capital!

rftc,

scott

cold in carolina

i'm not sure what the official nickname is for south carolina, but the new one is "the too-f@#king-windy state."

it was a tough day today. that's not to say i necessarily consider it a bad day, but it was a tough one. it started out fine enough, i got on the road right around 8am from savannah, leaving in the lukewarm shower that is the southern humidity in the morning. as i crossed the bridge into south carolina, i had no idea what was in store for me.

my plan was to head up 17 the whole way, riding along the coast through charleston and into north carolina before cutting over to greenville. unfortunately, about 20-30 miles into SC the temperature must have dropped 15 degrees. by the time i hit charleston 90ish miles later, i had already stopped several times to layer up. at my first gas stop (earlier than intended) i threw on my jeans under the riding pants, put the liner in my coat and took a look at the map. in addition to being cold, 17 was plagued with construction which was slowing me down quite a bit at regular intervals. i thought i might solve both problems if i headed inland and so, on a whim, took highway 41, which cut up north a bit more directly.

41, though a nice highway winding through the trees, only solved some of my problems. the construction was almost gone but it was still cold and now i had no idea how i was ultimately going to get where i was going. by the time i hit mullins SC for lunch (a pitiful gas station sandwich) i was cold, tired and had lost at least an hour by way of mileage covered. i saw by the map that i could continue on 41 and eventually meet up with my predetermined route, or i could jump on to I-95 and take a slightly quicker route. looking at what time it was and judging that the weather wasn't going to get any better, i decided to take I-95.

now, i already mentioned that i was warned against 95. i was told time and again about the bad traffic, horrible drivers and sadistic truck drivers. let me just say that all the rumors are true. i swear one truck tried to pass me for 20 miles just so he could force me into his slipstream. it was pretty bad. and the wind, which had also been plaguing me all day, was as bad as ever. literally throughout the entire state i was beaten and battered around by the wind. my muscles were sore from holding the bike steady, and my neck is still stiff. then it started raining.

in spite of the bad conditions, i decided to stick it out on 95 as opposed to jumping on another highway, since i figured the conditions wouldn't be any better and at least i would get there faster.

now, the reason that this was not a bad day is that i perservered. i had some bad moments, as is to be expected, but i stopped when i needed to, took care of myself and kept going. at my last gas stop i took my time, threw on my extra coat underneath the jacket and had a nice, hot cup of coffee. when i hit the road again i was warmed up and in a good mood again, singing along as i carved around the dastardly truck drivers. i was wet and a little cold, but i was doing well.

needless to say, i was not impressed by south carolina. here's a picture i took of a plantation i happened to stop next to in order to change my gloves:

yeehaw.

i have another rest day tomorrow, and pat and i will be heading to the outer banks, where i will finally get to see the atlantic ocean. apparently it likes to hide.

rftc,

scott

on the road again...

...just can't wait to get back on the road again
the life i love is making music with my friends
i can't wait to get on the road again.

in some ways, willie said it best. i had a great time in orlando, but it was a little weird to be in one place for two straight days. especially since i got in so early on tuesday, it threw me off a little bit, especially when i got up this morning and started packing up.

it was actually a late start today. i slept in until 9am (it was a late night) and packed up, but didn't get on the road until around 12:30, to get some extra visiting in, especially since i had a relatively short day today. i took off out of orlando on I-4, then hit I-95 north. now before i sarted this trip, i was warned against I-95 by many east coast riders. bad traffic, horrible drivers, etc, they all said i should avoid it at all costs. my plan was to take it to jacksonville (getting some miles down) before hopping on 17 to head up the rest of the way to savannah. well, it turns out they didn't mention the wind. i was getting blown around so much it was ridiculous, i wa getting battered. after a quick look at the map i decided to hop on highway 1 (east coast version) to get off the interstate.

1 was much nice, and i escaped the wind. it took me up until jacksonville, when i hit 17N, which should have taken me all the way to savannah. unfortunately, i found the one highway in the US where drivers not only don't go 65 mph, but they insist on going 5-10 mph below the speed limit. i must have passed 6 cars in 2 miles, just because they were all going ridiculously slow. it got so bad that i ended up jumping back on I-95 for the last 50 miles or so into savannah.

it was a very subdued day mentally, which i think was due to my music. i switched to my folk mix which, though i like all the music on there, is just not doing it for me on the road. on the bike i just need that driving rhythm that only rock can provide. when it comes to travel, give me imelda may over gillian welch, the black keys over black prairie and the decemberists over...well, i have the decemberists on both mixes. so they're ok. tomorrow, it'll be back to the rock and/or roll, starting with my trip anthem by the lonely forest.

savannah is a really cool town. i almost took the quick and easy route and stayed at a hotel right on I-95, but instead on a last minute whim i decided to go the rest of the way in to downtown savannah. i'm very glad i did. i ended up taking a hotel right at the corner of the historic district and, after a quick shower, had a nice walk down river street before having dinner at the cotton exchange tavern. an excellent burger, local brew and a walk home through city market and a very happening late night scene. all in all, a good evening.

i'm getting really bad at taking pictures. to be honest, though, i've been in the south since sunday, and a lot of it really looks the same. plus, i barely got a peek of the atlantic, even though i was essentially travelling up the coast. so to make it up to you, here are some pictures of me at universal studios:



that's me throwing my name in the goblet of fire in hogwarts castle, and standing in front of the jurassic park visitors' center. yeah, it was awesome.

tomorrow i'm off to greenville, NC to hang out with my little bro (and possibly check out the blackbeard museum). i'm not sure which route i'm going to take yet, i need to check out some drive times and make sure there aren't any roads blocked left over from hurricane damage.

either way, this morning when i got back onto the bike i suddenly felt like i was exactly where i should be. it was a good feeling.

rftc,

scott

midpoint check in

wow. halfway through. i don’t care who you are, that’s pretty cool.

i’ve had a good rest day in orlando, in which i’ve done no resting, but instead went to universal studios, where i saw the wizarding world of harry potter, and jurassic park (yeah!). it was much fun, but i can’t really say i got any rest. luckily, since the east coast states are so small, i’m going to have a fairly easy day tomorrow to get to savannah, so i can sleep in and take my time getting there.

i‘ve really fallen into a nice rhythm on the road, it seems. i’ve definitely learned a few things. i’m wearing my swimming trunks pretty much every day under the riding pants (quick drying), and soccer socks (left over from the hurling tournament), which means my skin isn’t in direct contact with my boots. i’m wearing my bandana pretty much all the time over my mouth, which has saved my face from sunburn and windburn (my lips were not pretty before i figured that one out. it may not be the snazziest of outfits, but it works on the road.

for my midpoint entry, i though i would share a few observations i’ve made along the way so far, that didn’t really fit into any one specific blog entry. first off, though, i just want to repeat how cool it is that i’m in orlando. it’s just awesome that i rode here on my bike in itself, but the arrival here means a few extra things as well. it’s the furthest away i’m going to get from home on this trip. it’s halfway through, both geographically and chronologically. and, in many ways, this trip started with the idea to merely ride to florida (originally on a scooter, for those that remember). the florida trip kind of evolved into the odyssey that i’m currently taking, but arriving here means a lot to me. ok, now for the observations:

other motorcycles:

i expected a lot more variety in the motorcycles i’ve seen on the road. instead, i really have to say it’s been about 90% harley davidsons. after that, probably 9% goldwings and 1% BMWs. keep in mind, these are the bikes i see traveling, but even in towns it’s mostly harleys, which a few sports bikes. this truly is a harley country, apparently. we’ll see if these numbers change at all in the northern half of the country, but i don’t know.

speed limits:

ok, here’s the thing. i’ve been traveling mostly on roads with a speed limit of 55-65 mph. what i’ve reconfirmed (i pretty much knew this already), is that people don’t pay any attention to them. i think on any road in the country that isn’t going through a town, people will drive between 65 and 70 mph if they can get away with it. and if the speed limit happens to be 70 (or even 75 in places), they just go faster.

US highways:

the US highway system is awesome. i’ve managed to stay off interstates for most of the trip, which i’m very grateful for. interstates are boring, with few turns and no scenery. the highway system, however, takes you through the actual country. you get far better scenery, much less traffic and, for the most part, very comparable speed limits (see above). i don’t think i've actually lost all that much time by sticking to highways, unless you count slowing down to go through towns. i still count this as a plus, however, since it occasionally gives me a bit of a break, and i don’t have to worry about finding gas off an exit ramp and finding my way back on the freeway. they’re just right there by the side of the road.

wildlife:

so far, this has been the big disappointment of the trip. i’ve seen almost no wildlife other than birds. the largest non-domestic mammal i’ve seen that wasn’t dead on the side of the road (sad but true) is a squirrel. birds are a different story. i’ve seen tons of raptors (i’m not savvy enough to identify them), and quite a few buzzards and vultures. i have also, unfortunately, racked up a bit of a casualty count of little critters along the way. the confirmed kills i have, besides the countless bugs, are one lizard in the mojave, and one bird that glanced off my helmet and shoulder in new mexico. it was a small bird, so i was fine, but i can’t imagine it survived hitting me at 70 mph. i also have the sneaking suspicion that two other birds didn’t make that cut beneath my tires as the swooped across the road. i’ve also had a few close calls with buzzards, where i’ve actually had to duck as they took their sweet time abandoning the carrion in the middle of the road. if i were to run into one of those things, it would hurt. again, i have to imagine that the wildlife sightings will pick up through the northern parts of the country, especially as i get into south dakota and wyoming.

i think that’s everything i was thinking of. so that about wraps up my midpoint wrap up. oh, and since i think it’s rather funny and ridiculous looking, here’s a picture of me in what i wear beneath my riding gear:

tomorrow i’m on the road again, heading a new direction: north.

rftc,

scott

guess what?

i just rode my motorcycle to f#@ing florida!

can i get a what what?

seriously, though, this is awesome. i'm so thrilled to be here, i still can't really believe it. not only am i here, but i'm halfway through my trip (which is weird to think about). come to think of it, i still haven't checked the total mileage on my bike yet. i was going to when i got here, but i completely forgot. i'll have to do that at some point.

the day in itself was quick and easy. all the way down I-75 until florida's turnpike (seriously, that's what it's called). about 260 miles, cruising at 75mph most of the way, i knocked it out in about 4 hours flat. cake.

actually, it was surprisingly cold this morning, but not in a bad way. coming through southern georgia, there was mist and fog through the trees as the sun came up (i left early), and it was quite pretty, even from the interstate. i really like riding in the mornings. everything is calm, there's a coolness in the air (even when you're in phoenix and it's 85 degrees) and there's really a zen quality about it. a sunrise after 20 or so miles on the road is one of my favorite things right now.

i'll give my official halftime wrap-up tomorrow, but so far this trip is everything i've wanted it to be. i'm very happy right now, and even though i occasionally get roped into things back home that need doing via email, it's nice to be so completely focused on just one thing. of course, i wish all my friends along the way could enjoy this luxury with me, but i'm honored and extremely thankful to everyone who's putting me up along the way.

so, i am safe and sound in orlando florida for the next two days. this is the furthest away from seattle i will be during the course of the trip (3111 miles straight shot, according to google) and so, from here on out i am essentially heading home, albeit in a roundabout manner. on a side note, i was looking at some travel distances for the next few days and, i have to say, the east coast is small! it's going to be some easy days when i head back out until after cleveland.

until then, i'll be enjoying (read: roasting in) the florida sunshine. in some ways, i'm already itching to get back out there. my butt is enjoying the break, though.

rftc,

scott